10 Christmas Fetishes We Need to Get Over

See why simple is good for the holiday season

By Diane Oatis

We don’t mean to be Scrooge here, but what ever happened to modest Christmases? Holidays should be small and special, not victims of overkill. ’Tis a gift to be simple, the song says. So let’s see which of these we can do without:

1. All Christmas music, all the time, starting in November. How many times will you hear the words “pa-rum-pa-pum-pum” in the space of eight weeks? Think about it. Somewhere in there, you could use a silent night.

6. Bizarre food traditions. Someone, once upon a time, liked the cranberry-mayo jello mold. Does anyone remember who it was? No? Then cross it off the list, now and forever.

7. Light displays that look like Times Square. So non-eco. Enough said.

8. Making popcorn-and-berry strings for the tree. This one actually does come from a simpler time, but we don’t know how they did it without Band-Aids. Have you ever tried to push a needle through a cranberry? Don’t.

9. Overdressing the little ones. Mommy, we know you think the three-piece suit and tie are adorable, but he’s only 3. Put him in something stretchy, then let him roll around on the floor with his cousins and end the day with candy cane juice all over himself.

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